Swamp pop fest a treat

The food was good, the live Cajun and country music was up to its usual standard, but the crowd was thin.

The Fais do-do at the Dulac Knights of Columbus home Saturday may have been the last one for a while.

The July session had already been canceled in favor of the two-day "Down da Bayou Festival and Swamp Pop Show" scheduled for July 14 and 15 on the KC hall grounds.

When Cyrus Parfait, Al Voisin and the gang reach a final decision on when the monthly Fais Do-Do dinner and dance sessions will resume, I will let you know.

July swamp pop fest: Meanwhile, plan to attend the festival. Early advertisements posted at the hall indicate the grounds will be open noon to 10 p.m. July 14, and noon to 6 p.m. July 15. The same posters list admission as $3, and featured musical performers as Treater, Ruffin/Ready, Fais Do-Do, Charles Mann, Warren Storm, Willie T., Dwayne Schurb, Vin Bruce, Jerry Raines and Pott Folse.

But watch for possible schedule refinements as the date of the festival approaches. It should be a treat for swamp-pop fans.

More on Lash: Henry Brownlee reports his longtime acquaintance with the Louisiana origins of Lash Larue.

"I was reared in Algiers," Brownlee e-mailed last week, "and had a school mate who was a cousin of Al ëLash’ LaRue. His family was from Gretna."

"Lash was very short -- the whip was bigger’n him! He (like all of those Western Heroes) had a sidekick a la Gabby Hayes -- Fuzzy Knight?

"He was never the mega star in westerns, but he had a pretty good following, especially locally because he was home folk. I do not know of his Houma connections.

"Long after his popularity had waned, I can remember reading in the Times Picayune that he and his old movie sidekick were arrested for theft. I don’t know whatever became of those charges. Just thought you’d like to know."

Brownlee now has a Houma address, on Bayou Blue.

Dropped? The Larue information Tony Galliano found on the Internet also mentioned accusations, in the late 1950s, of theft. The site reports that Larue was acquitted, but lists no further details.

Galliano’s Internet research makes it clear that after his initial splash as the black-clad, whip-wielding, western good guy, times were seldom prosperous for Lash Larue.

But for our purposes, the real interest lies in who Larue’s local relatives were and when and where he visited the Terrebonne-Lafourche area. Comments on your recollections of those days are always welcome.

Remember Houma’s Blimps? I understand that C.J. Christ, Gary Phillips and other war history buffs at the Terrebonne Parish Library have equipped themselves to preserve images, mementos and recollections of Houma’s Blimp Base. Call the library at 876-5861 if you can help.

Ready? Perhaps our recent thunderstorms are burning off potential hurricane energy, but I still recommend reviewing evacuation plans and routes, just in case.